….as stakeholders harp on skill acquisition
From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The Senator representing Enugu West Senatorial district in the 10th National Assembly, Senator Osita Ngwu, and Hon.Sunday Cyriacus Umeha, representing Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency, carved off time out of their ever busy schedule to participate in a two-day summit held at Amadeo event center, Enugu, from Wednesday, November 26th to November 27th.
Agbaja is an ancestral name for all communities encompassed in the present Udi local government area, Ezeagu local government area and parts of Enugu North and Enugu South local government areas of Enugu state.
These communities share common culture, tradition, common boundaries and political affinity.
Their common ties ginger them to often assemble and discuss issues of common interest.Thus the birth of Agbaja Summit three years ago is geared towards fine-tuning measures of fostering socio economic and political development of all communities in the ancient Agbaja clan.
Senator Osita Ngwu in his remarks buttressed the importance of the summit in advancing the course of Agbaja land and pledged his continuous support to the projects and programmes of the organizers.
Speaking to newsmen, Hon.Sunday Umeha harped on the vital need for Youths to imbibe technical skills that will enable them handle the various job opportunities available in the Communities, thereby reducing the rate of unemployment in the country.
He lamented dearth of technicians such Masons,Carpenters, Electricians, tilers etc, in the communities which have been taken over by artisans from neighbouring countries.
Earlier in a key note address, Prof.Obiora Ike lamented that the quest for higher education certificates without requisite skills to solving the immediate needs of the society is currently the reason for rising unemployment in Nigeria.
He advocated for Nigerian universities to entrench programmes that will endear the students to technical education and skills acquisition ,so they can be employable after their studies.
According to him,the Republic of China with a population over 1.4 billion people has almost a zero unemployed Youths unlike Nigeria with a staggering unemployed Youths out of 220 estimated population.
Declaring the summit open, Governor Peter Mbah, who was represented by the state commissioner for Environment, Prof. Sam Ugwu, disclosed the huge tourism potential of Agbaja communities and commended their efforts at rejuvenating their identity and shared heritage.
Mbah noted that the Summit was not merely an event, but a movement in pursuit of excellence, identity, and collective progress.
The Governor told the participants that prospering nations of the world are not because of their mineral wealth, but because they invest in human capital, technology, and innovation and commended their drive for education and skills empowerment.
“Knowledge has become the new currency of power. Skills have become the new economic passport. In Enugu State, we have committed ourselves to this global reality.
“That is why we are building: 260 Smart Schools, one in every ward, with world-class digital classrooms and laboratories.
“A reformed curriculum that moves our children from memorization to coding, robotics, critical thinking, and problem-solving. A network of skill acceleration centres that prepare our youth for the modern economy.
According to him, “Our vision is simple but ambitious: to make Enugu State the skills capital of Nigeria,”.
The Patron Agbaja Leaders of Thought and former Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime noted that the summit addresses education empowerment which he said remains the cornerstone of the the future of Agbaja people.
“The pursuit of Education and Empowerment actually underlines and enunciates the driving philosophy and innate attributes of the Agbaja people. It is actually, in our DNA, to create, produce, reform and advance society.
He added that “The transformational contributions of Agbaja- born leaders of yore remind us that today’s realities demand renewed investment in education and skills development across Agbaja land,” .
Chime emphasized that in preaching and working towards the development of Agbajaland, they are not being provincial nor promoting divisions or rivalry with other sections of the state, but only making their own contribution, telling their own story and lending their own support to efforts that have been made and being made to revive or adopt policies, actions, thoughts or ideas that are necessary for the rapid and sustainable development or advancement of the whole society.
In his remark, Chairman of the summit planning committee, Prof Chike Anibeze, explained that the Coal City of Enugu came alive again as they gathered to celebrate their identity, strengthen bonds and chart a visionary path for their collective future.
Anibeze said that Agbaja is uniquely bound by history, culture, and an enduring spirit of kinship, recalling that when the Agbaja Leaders of Thought, under the guidance Prof Chinedu Nebo, conceived the maiden Summit in 2022, it was out of a deep desire to reconnect a people whose unity appear to have been weakened by modern boundaries.
“That maiden Summit was a turning point. Beyond the colourful displays of the Economic and Investment Forum and the unforgettable Cultural Carnival, it gifted us something far more important: a renewed sense of purpose and the spirit of collective endeavour.”
He stated that the purpose emerged the Agbaja Development Blueprint — a 12-point agenda addressing education, healthcare, agriculture, youth empowerment and entrepreneurship, inspiring countless philanthropic and collective educational development agenda leading to the 2023 Agbaja Declaration that ensured that no Agbaja child goes to school without sandals and a bag.
“These steps, though modest, reaffirmed our shared responsibility and communal pride. It inspired in countless of us the need to spread their efforts beyond the boundaries of their immediate families,”
Also speaking, Chairman of the Summit Records and Communique Sub Committee, Professor Okey Oji, of the Enugu state university of science and Technology ESUT, said they are trying to use the summit to build up thematic issues and innovation in certain areas.
He noted that the first summit was based on the economy, stressing that after assessing the progress of the first summit, they felt that the second summit should be based on education.
Professor Oji said they have followed the pattern set by the current Enugu State Governor in the education and brings it down to the grassroots.
In addition to a lecture tagged,’ Empowerment for the Future’, award to deserving sons and daughters of Agbaja clan,who have or are still contributing meaningfully in various socio economic spheres of development in Nigeria, was presented to them by Senator Osita Ngwu.
The Agbaja Summit 2025 continued on Thursday, November 27th with a display of the rich culture and tradition of Agbaja clan, at Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium.
